UK Construction Industry could lose 8% of it's workforce Post-Brexit:

The UK construction industry could lose almost 200,000 EU workers post-Brexit should Britain lose access to the single market, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has revealed.

This would put some of the country’s biggest infrastructure and construction projects under threat, RICS has warned. It has cautioned that for Brexit to succeed, it is essential to secure continued access to the EU Single Market or to put alternative plans in place to safeguard the future of the property and construction sectors in the UK.

Latest RICS figures show that eight per cent of the UK’s construction workers are EU nationals, accounting for some 176,500 people. Thirty per cent of the construction professionals surveyed revealed that hiring non-UK workers was important to the success of their businesses.

The UK is already in the grip of a construction skills crisis. While some overseas professionals such as ballet dancers are regarded as critical by the UK government, and are therefore prioritised during the visa application process, construction professions have not yet been added to the ‘UK Shortage Occupations List’.

RICS is warning that this could already be placing the UK’s predicted £500 billion infrastructure pipeline under threat and must be addressed as a priority.

When asked about the effectiveness of current plans to address the UK’s long-term skills shortages, 20 per cent of respondents felt that apprenticeship schemes were not effective at all.

RICS is calling on the UK Government to secure a Brexit deal that supports the construction, property and land sectors by laying out a clear timeline and set of ambitions; attracting private infrastructure investors; providing access to a skilled international workforce among other recommendations.